Tiramisu with Mascarpone

Tiramisu is a dessert built on mascarpone, and mascarpone is a cheese — a rich, fresh one made from cream. Its delicacy is what makes tiramisu what it is: a soft, barely sweet cream, layered with coffee-soaked sponge and dusted with cocoa. Get the cream right and the rest follows.

Why mascarpone matters here

Mascarpone is smooth, dense and mild, with around twice the fat of cream cheese. That fat gives tiramisu its velvet texture and richness without any sourness. Substituting cream cheese or ricotta changes the dessert’s character noticeably.

Ingredients (serves 6–8)

• 500 g mascarpone, at room temperature
• 4 eggs, separated (use very fresh eggs, or pasteurised)
• 100 g caster sugar
• 300 ml strong espresso or very strong coffee, cooled
• 2 tablespoons coffee liqueur or Marsala (optional)
• About 24 savoiardi (ladyfinger) biscuits
• Cocoa powder, for dusting

Method

1. Whisk the egg yolks with the sugar until pale and thick.
2. Fold in the mascarpone until smooth.
3. Whisk the egg whites to soft peaks and fold them into the mascarpone mixture in two additions.
4. Combine the coffee and liqueur in a shallow dish.
5. Dip each biscuit briefly — a second or two per side — and lay a single layer in a dish. Soaked through is fine; falling apart is not.
6. Cover with half the cream, add another layer of dipped biscuits, then the rest of the cream.
7. Chill for at least 6 hours, ideally overnight.
8. Dust generously with cocoa just before serving.

The dip time

This is where tiramisu is won or lost. Dip too briefly and the biscuits stay hard and dry; dip too long and they disintegrate into mush. A quick, confident dip — one to two seconds per side — is the target. If your biscuits are very thin, be even quicker.

Food-safety note

Classic tiramisu contains raw egg. Use the freshest eggs you can and keep the dessert refrigerated; if you are cooking for anyone who should avoid raw egg, look for a cooked or pasteurised-egg version. See our site disclaimer for general guidance.

Make-ahead

Tiramisu is better made the day before, which makes it ideal for entertaining. Add the cocoa at the last moment so it stays a dry, bitter dusting rather than a wet smear.